Partition structure for compartmented cartons



Jan. 22, 1957 H. w. FORRER 2,778,526

PARTITION STRUCTURE FOR COMPARTMEINTED CARTONS Filed March 24. 1954 Jan. 22, 1957 H. w. FORRER PARTITION STRUCTURE FOR COMPARTMENTED CARTONS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 24, 1954 INVENTOR. HOMER w. FOR/PER ATTORNE KS Jan. 22, 1957 H. w. FORRER PARTITION STRUCTURE FOR COMPARTMENTED CARTONS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 24, 1954 INVENTOR. HOMER V. FORRER ITI'ORNEYS United States Patent PARTITION STRUCTURE FOR COlVIPART- MENTED CARTONS Homer W. Forrer, Atlanta, Ga., assignor to Atlanta Paper Company, a corporation of Georgia Application March 24, 1954, Serial No. 418,331

Claims. (Cl. 220-113) This invention relates in general to compartmented cartons formed of paperboard and adapted for carrying bottles and other similar articles, and more particularly to an improved partition structure for such cartons by which bottles or other articles disposed therein may be cushioned with exceptional effectiveness against breakage.

In shipping frangible articles from a central distribution point, where it is desired to arrange the articles initially in packaged groups suitable for subsequent retail display and sale, as in the case of bottled beer, there has been great difiiculty encountered in providing cartons that would protect the packaged groups of articles adequately against breakage during shipment and still not be unduly expensive.

According to the present invention a compartmented carton is provided which incorporates a cushioning partition structure that substantially overcomes the above noted difficulty with shipping breakage and that, at the same time, is incorporated in the carton so that it may be economically used.

These and other features of the present invention are described in detail below in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a compartmented carton incorporating a partition structure arranged in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the carton shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a corresponding plan view showing the carton seen in Fig. 2 in the process of collapsing;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the form of blank used according to the present invention for forming the carton shown in Figs. 1 to 3; i

Fig. 5 is a corresponding plan view showing the blank of Fig. 4 after completion of the first folding step for forming the carton;

Fig. 6 is a corresponding plan view showing the blank after completion of the second folding step and with the glue application for the third folding step indicated by stippling;

Fig. 7 is a corresponding plan view showing the blank after completion of the third folding step and with the glue application for the fourth folding step indicated by stippling; and

Fig. 8 is a corresponding plan view after completion of the fourth folding step and with the glue application for the final folding step indicated by stippling.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the embodiment of the present invention illustrated comprises a collapsible compartmented carton of the same general type disclosed in copending application Serial No. 348,- 284, filed April 13, 1953 now Patent No. 2,688,421, and which is formed by a medially foldable bottom wall 10; opposed side walls 12 and 14 foldably joined to the bottom wall 10; and opposed pairs of end walls 16, 18 and 20, 22 foldably joined at respective ends of said side walls 12 and 14 and extending inwardly therefrom for foldable connection with a medial handle panel struc 2,778,525 Patented Jan. 22, 1957 ture that is indicated generally by the reference numeral 24. The handle structure 24 in turn has intermediate partition panels 26, 28, 30 and 32 foldably connected at opposite sides thereof and extending therefrom for similar foldable connection respectively with the opposed side walls 12 and 14, as described and claimed in the above noted copending application.

According to the present invention the compartmented carton further comprises auxiliary cushioning panels 34, 36, 38 and 40 arranged adjacent each partition panel 26, 28, 30 and 32 so as to be disposed obliquely thereto in the erected carton for cushioning action. The cushioning panels 34, 36, 38 and 40 are foldably secured to either the handle structure 24 or one of the side walls 12 or 14 at only one side edge thereof, as will be explained in further detail presently, and the oblique disposition is provided for by arranging the secured side edges of the cushioning panels in spaced parallel relation with respect to the adjacent side edge of the related partition panel 26, 28, 30 or 32. The opposite side edges of the cushioning panels 34, 36, 38 and 40 are left free in the carton structure and each cushioning panel is proportioned in a width such that its free edge will reach substantially to the corresponding edge of the adjacent partition panel 26, 23, 30 or 32, when the carton is erected.

The cushioning panel width to provide this relation, as is illustrated by Fig. 2, is a width substantially equal to the hypotenuse of a right triangle in which one leg is equal to the spacing between the adjacent foldably secured edges of the related partition panel 26, 28, 30 or 32 and cushioning panel 34, 36, 38 or 40, and the other leg is equal to the width of the related partition panel. It should be noted further that the arrangement of the cushioning panels 34, 36, 38 and 40 with a free side edge allows them to collapse with the partition panels 26, 28, 30 and 32 between the side walls 12 and 14 at each side of the handle portion 24 when the carton structure is shifted to collapsed position, as illustrated in Fig. 3.

The form of blank used according to the present invention for forming the compartmented carton described above is shown in Fig. 4. As shown, the medially foldable bottom wall 10 is arranged at a generally central position in the blank, and the side Walls 12 and 14 are foldably connected at opposite side edges of the bottom wall 10, with one end Wall panel of each pair 16, 18 and 20, 22 foldably connected at respective end edges of the side walls 12 and 14. The and panels 16, 18, 20, 22 each have a width corresponding to half the width of the bottom wall 10 so that they are proportioned to extend in pairs from the opposed side walls 12 and 14 and meet medially of the carton at the handle portion 24 as seen in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

The previously mentioned transverse partition panels 26, 28, 30 and 32 are displaced in the blank from the end wall panels 16, 18, 20 and 22. Three of these transverse partition panels 28, 30 and 32 are foldably connected to medial partition panels 42, 44 and 46, that become part of the medial handle panel structure 24 in the completed carton, and that are foldably connected in the blank to the three adjacent end wall panels 18, 20 and 22. The fourth transverse partition panel 26 is provided as an auxiliary portion of the handle structure 24 which comprises a handle panel 48 that is foldably connected directly to the remaining fourth end wall panel 16. At the inner edge of this handle panel 48 (i. e., its bottom edge in the completed carton), and adjacent the fourth end wall panel 16, a fourth medial partition panel 50 is foldably connected and the fourth transverse partition panel 26 is foldably connected sidewise of the panel 50, so that both of these panels. 50 and 26 are aligned with the corresponding panels 42 and foldably connected to the adjacent paired end wall panel 18. All four of the transverse partition panels 26, 28, 30 and 32 have attaching flaps 52, 54, 56 and 58 foldabl'y connected in turn thereto for securing respectively to the opposed side walls 12 and 14 and thereby fixing these partition panels 26, 28, 39 and 32 foldably in spaced transverse relation between the side walls 12 and 14 at each side of the handle structure 24.

Three of the above noted attaching fiaps 52, 56 and 58 also serve as spacing flaps at which the related cushioning panels 34, 38 and 44) are foldably connected. The remaining fourth cushioning panel 36 is foldably formed in the handle panel 48 at the edge portion thereof remote from the end wall panel 16. As previously noted, all of the cushioning panels 34, 36 and 33 and til are formed in a width adapting them for oblique disposition in relation to the transverse partition panels 26, 28, 3t) and 32, which have a width corresponding to that of the end wall panels 16, 18, 2t) and 22.

The blank shown in Fig. 4 is completed by second and third handle panels 60 and 62, each of which are foldably connected to the first mentioned handle panel 4-3 for arrangement in face-to-face relation thereto in forming the handle structure 24 as disclosed in the above noted copending application, and described further below.

Fig. 5 shows the first folding step in forming or developing the blank of Fig. 4 to constitute the carton illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, and which first step comprises doubling the cushioning panels 3- and to overlie the adjacent spacing flaps 52 and 5S and transverse partition panels 26 and 32, and the cushioning panel 38 to underlie the adjacent spacing flap 56 and transverse partition panel 30.

Next, as seen in Fig. 6, the second folding step consists in doubling the transverse partition panel 28 and spacing flap 54, and the transverse partition panel 32 and spacing flap 58 with the previously doubled cushioning panel 40, to overlie respectively the adjacent medial partition panels 44 and 46 and end wall panel 26 and 22; and, also, in doubling the medial partition panel 5t} with the adjacent transverse partition panel 26 and spacing fiap 52, and the previously doubled cushioning panel 34, to overlie the medial handle panel 48. After completing this second folding step, an application of glue is made as indicated by the stippled areas in Pig. 6 to the exposed faces of the attaching and spacing flaps 52, 54, 5s and 58, as well as the upper portion of the medial handle panel 48, related portions of the medial partition panels 44 and 50, and all of the second handle panels 69.

At the third folding step, as seen in Fig. 7, the portions of the blank to the right are folded over to the left about the foldable connections thereof with the end walls 16 and Lid, and the portions of the blank to the left are folded over to the right about the foldable connections thereof with the sidewalls 12 and 14-, which results in securing the upper portion of the medial handle panel 48 and the second handle panel 60 in face-to-face relation with the third handle panel 62, securing upper portions of the medial partition panels 44 and 50 with the handle portion 24 thus being formed, and securing all of the attaching flaps 52, 54, 56 and 58 to the respective side Walls 12 and 1- so as to develop the blank to the form shown in Fig. 7.

At this point, glue is applied to the now exposed opposite face of the second handle panel 6b, as indicated by stippling in Fig. 7, in preparation for the fourth folding step which consists in folding the second handle panel 60 together with the upper portion of the third handle panel 62 downwardly to complete the handle structure 24 as seen'in Fig. 8. it is then only necessary to apply glue as indicated by stippling in Fig. 8 to the exposed faces of the 'm'edial partition panels 42 and id and double the blank by medially folding the bottom wall 1% to complete the carton illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 from the unitary form of blank shown in Fig. 4.

The carton illustrated in the drawings and described above is arranged to hold the standard retail sale unit of six bottles. in arranging the loaded cartons for shipping by truck or rail, the standard shipping package is formed by placing four of the loaded cartons in a conventional corrugated slipping container. As thus arranged the bottles are protected adequately from the exterior by the shipping container, but the difficulty with breakage heretofore encountered has been in protecting the bottles from undue shock between themselves inside the container during shipment.

The compartmented carton of the present invention, by means of the cushioning panels 34, 36, 38 and 40 arranged therein, provides separate shock protection between each of the carton compartments in which the bottles are arranged. Because of the oblique disposition of the cushioning panels 32, 34. 36 and 3d, and the arrangement by which they are left free at one side edge, a resilient spacing of the bottles is effected that cushions them against severe direct shock and that has been found under actual test to increase the protection for the bottles against breakage by more than 50 percent in comparison with previously employed types of shipping packages.

The present invention has been described in detail above for purposes of illustration only and is not intended to be limited by this description or otherwise except as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A collapsible compartmented carton for carrying bottles and other similar articles, said carton comprising a medially foldable bottom wall, opposed side walls on said bottom wall, a medial panel structure formed as a carrying handle at its upper portion and extending below said upper portion to the bottom of said carton when erected as a complete medial partition therefor, transverse partition panels foldably connected at opposite sides of said panel structure below said handle portion and extending to the bottom of said carton when erected for completely partitioning said carton transversely, a relatively narrow attaching flap foldably connected sidewise to each of said transverse partition panels and fixedly secured to one of said side walls, and an auxiliary cushioning panel foldably connected in adjacent spaced parallel relation with respect to each of said transverse partition panels, said cushioning panels being coextensive in .height with said transverse partition panels, being secured at only one side edge thereof, and having a width such that the op posite side edge thereof will reach substantially to the corresponding side edge of the adjacent transverse partition panel when said carton is erected and said opposite side edge being disposed against said corresponding transverse partition panel upon erection of said carrier.

2. A collapsible compartmented carton for carrying bottles and other similar articles, said carton comprising opposed side walls, a medial panel structure spaced between said side walls, partition panels having respective opposite side edges thereof foldably connected at each side of said medial panel structure and respectively with said opposed side walls for alternatively collapsing in face-to-face relation between said side walls and panel structure when said carton is collapsed and extending transversely therebetween when said carton is erected, a relatively narrow attaching flap foldably connected sidewise to each of said transverse partition panels and fixedly secured to one of said side walls, and an auxiliary cushioning panel foldably secured at one side edge in spaced parallel relation adjacent a side edge of each of said partition panels, the other side edge of said cushioning panels being free to allow collapsing thereof like said partition panels when said carton is collapsed, and the width of said cushioning panels being such as to reach obliquely between said medial panel structure and said opposedside Walls with the free cushioning panel edge disposed substantially at the other side edge of the corresponding partition panel when said carton is erected.

3. A blank of paperboard or the like for forming a collapsible compartmented carton, said blank being cut and scored to define a medially foldable bottom wall panel, opposed side wall panels foldahly joined thereto, opposed pairs of end wall panels foldably joined at the ends of said side wall panels, substantially symmetrical partition extensions foldably joined to each end wall panel on one of said side wall panels, each of said extensions being intermediately foldable for forming in sequence a medial partition panel, a transverse partition panel, an attaching and spacing flap, and a cushioning panel, a similar partition extension foldbly joined to one end wall panel on the other side wall panel but foldable for forming only a medial partition panel, a transverse partition panel and an attaching flap in sequence therein, and a medial handle panel extension foldably joined to the remaining end wall panel, said handle panel extension having a foldable cushioning panel portion formed therein adjacent the edge thereof remote from said remaining end wall panel, and having a medial partition panel foldably joined at the inner edge thereof adjacent said remaining end wall panel with a transverse partition panel, an attaching and spacing flap, and a cushioning panel foldably joined in sequence on said last mentiond medial partition panel and aligned with the corresponding elements of the extension on the adjacent end wall panel at the opposite side wall panel.

4. A collapsible compartmented carton for carrying bottles and other similar articles, said carton comprising a medially foldable bottom wall, opposed side walls on said bottom wall, a medial panel structure formed as a carrying handle at its upper portion and extending below said upper portion to the bottom of said carton when erected as a complete medial partition therefor, transverse partition panels foldably connected at opposite sides of said panel structure below said handle portion for partitioning said carton transversely, a relatively narrow attaching flap foldably connected sidewise to each of said transverse partition panels and fixedly secured to one of said side walls in face-to-face contact therewith, cushioning panels foldably connected in adjacent spaced parallel relation with respect to each of said transverse partition panels, a majority of said cushioning panels being foldably connected sidewise to the attaching flaps and being spaced from said partition panels at one side edge by the width of said attaching flaps, said majority of cushioning panels being extended inwardly towards said medial partition with the other side edge being disposed against the adjacent transverse partition panel immediately adjacent said medial partition when said carton is erected and being free to allow collapsing thereof when said carton is collapsed.

5. A collapsible compartmented carton for carrying bottles and other similar articles, said carton comprising a medially foldable bottom wall, opposed side walls on said bottom wall, a medial panel structure formed as a carrying handle at its upper portion and extending below said upper portion to the bottom of said carton when erected as a complete medial partition therefor, transverse partition panels foldably connected at opposite sides of said panel structure below said handle portion for partitioning said carton transversely, a relatively narrow attaching flap foldably connected sidewise to each of said transverse partition panels and fixedly secured to one of said side walls in face-to-face contact therewith, cushioning panels foldably connected in adjacent spaced parallel relation with respect to each of said transverse partition panels, at least one of said cushioning panels being foldably secured to said medial partition and being extended outwardly towards a side wall, the remaining cushioning panels being foldably secured sidewise to the attaching flaps and being spaced from said partition panels at one side edge by the width of said attaching flaps, said re maining cushioning panels being extended inwardly towards said medial partition with the other side edge being disposed against the adjacent transverse partition panel immediately adjacent said medial partition when said carton is erected and being free to allow collapsing thereof when said carton is collapsed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,124,930 Roselius July 26, 1938 2,345,746 Goodyear Apr. 4, 1944 2,460,229 Lebold Jan. 25, 1949 2,507,929 Pennebaker May 16, 1950 2,525,686 Kowal Oct. 10, 1950 2,591,548 Inman Apr. 1, 1952 2,611,529 Currivan Sept. 23, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 936,013 France Feb. 9, 1948 

